SPEECH

BY

PROF. OLIVE M. MUGENDA, Ph.D, MBA, EBS,

CBS

VICE-CHANCELLOR

Military Matriculation Ceremony

Wednesday, 10th

June, 2015

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The Chief of the Defence

Forces of Kenya - General

Samson Mwathethe,

Assistant Chief of the

Defence Forces

(Personnel and Logistics),

Major General S. Nandwa

The Commandant, Kenya

Military Academy -

Brigadier Albert

Kendagor;

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Senior Military Officers

Present,

Members of Senate;

Members of Staff;

Matriculants;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good Morning.

On behalf of the Chancellor,

Chairman and members of the

University Council, Senate

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and the entire University

community, I wish to take

this opportunity to welcome

you to the matriculation

ceremony of the fifth intake

of cadets undertaking the

Bachelor of Science in

Military Studies. As a

University, we are delighted

to host the Kenya Defence

Forces today knowing that

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this may be one of the very

few occasions when you

physically visit the University.

Sir, may I take this

opportunity to congratulate

you for being appointed the

Chief of the Defence Forces

of the Republic of Kenya. I

also wish to appreciate the

work done by the retired CDF,

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General (retired) (Dr.) Julius

Waweru Karangi. Kenyatta

University is very proud to be

associated with the training

of the Kenya Defence Forces

personnel.

Sir, the B.Sc Military Studies

programme which the cadets

are undertaking at the Kenya

Military Academy underwent

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a full cycle of implementation

in 2014 after a period of four

(4) years. The University

alongside personnel from the

Military reviewed it and

considerably improved it.

Sir, the group that we are

matriculating today will

undergo their training based

on this revised curriculum. I

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assure you that Kenyatta

University will continue to do

all that is required towards

the implementation of the

revised curriculum and will be

receptive of any feedback

from your personnel

regarding its

operationalization.

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Sir, the University and the

Ministry of Defence recently

undertook a review of the

contract, after the first

contract that was signed in

2010. We are indeed happy

that under the new contract,

we will offer specialized

training to the KDF for next

five (5) years. This gives us

the confidence that indeed

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the hard work that the

University has dedicated to

the programme has been

appreciated and to even

continue working harder. Sir,

we note that the revised

contract not only covers the

B.Sc (Military Studies)

programme. Other new areas

included in the programme

are: the Master of Science in

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Strategic Studies where

serving officers will be

trained every year for the

next five years. This masters

programme will essentially be

offered through a friendly and

flexible digital mode of study

to ensure minimal

interruption in the work

schedules of serving officers.

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The new contract has also

provided for serving officers

to be admitted to pursue

specialized PhD programmes

at Kenyatta University in line

with the changing demands

of the defence sector.

Another landmark item

included in the newly signed

contract is that of capacity

development for service

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personnel deployed to

support and facilitate

professional training of

cadets at the Kenya Military

Academy. This training in

particular will further

enhance their pedagogical

skills and further raise the

level of training at KMA to

global standards. The new

contract also makes

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provision for joint research

ventures to be conducted by

the University and the

Ministry of Defence over the

five years contractual period.

This again is a notable

milestone as such research

can unravel a number of the

challenges affecting national

security and recommend

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empirical-based solutions to

address them.

Sir, the obligation of the

University under the new

contract is enormous but I

wish to assure you that the

University is prepared and

ready to fulfill this broadened

mandate and to continually

monitor and evaluate our

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progress in order to stay on

course.

Sir, I am informed that the

Ministry of Defence recently

carried out a benchmarking

tour of countries where

programmes similar to the

B.Sc (Military Studies) are

offered. I am informed that a

few officers from Kenya

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Military Academy visited

India, Nepal and Malaysia.

This together with

observations made by

external examiners for the

programme who visit the

University and the Kenya

Military Academy every year

will go a long way in

improving the quality of

military training in our

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country. We at the University

are persuaded that the model

of combining professional

military training with that of

academic training best suits

the needs of our military

sector and has therefore

achieved the purpose for

which it was intended- that of

developing a well-informed,

well-rounded and disciplined

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military officer who is able to

fit in the military world of the

21st

century. Our emphasis as

a University is quality

education and training for a

professional career within the

military.

Sir, turning now to the

matriculates, I am indeed

happy to see the fifth intake

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of 150 cadets. Matriculation

ceremonies are undertaken in

all universities around the

world and signify the entry of

freshmen into a new system.

At Kenyatta University,

academic tradition requires

that all new students undergo

this oathing ceremony. It is

through matriculation that

students get to understand

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the Universitys core values,

rules and regulations and

agree to abide by them. The

University has assigned the

very best course lecturers

and instructors to you. I

therefore encourage you to

forge a lasting relationship

with your lecturers and

instructors, who will serve as

good role models. To be the

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best in military service does

not come easily. You need to

initiate a personal strategy

that works for you and that is

tailored after military

pursuits. If you have not yet

conceived a personal

strategic plan, you need to

develop one immediately.

Personal strategic planning is

based on the premise that life

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will not go according to plan

if you do not have a plan.

As you embark on your

academic training, remember

that your success in the three

pillars of training embraced

by the military i.e. character

formation, professional

training and academic

development will depend on

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your commitment, hard work,

determination and discipline.

I therefore encourage you to

remain focused during your

life as a student of Kenyatta

University and as cadets at

the Kenya Military Academy.

The Matriculation Oath you

have taken today formally

gives you studentship status

of this great University.

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Doing so also comes with a

number of responsibilities,

the most important being

your obligation to contribute

to the realization of the

Universitys Mission and

Vision. In addition, it enjoins

you to a larger congregation

that is part of this University.

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The programme you will go

through at KMA is designed

to develop in you traits of

leadership and command and

to enable you to evaluate

situations and act rationally

guided by the best interests

of the citizens of this country.

As a military officer, you will

be expected to weigh your

actions and conduct carefully

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as any reckless act can

translate to an escalation of

conflict. Remember that as a

country, we train officers and

soldiers in readiness for

dealing with any form of

external aggression. This is

not because we are spoiling

for war, but because the best

deterrent of war is the

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possession of excellent war

skills and machinery.

I therefore encourage you to

be good students both at

Kenyatta University and at

the Kenya Military Academy.

A good student must portray

several qualities including

but not limited to: Self

discipline; Respect for others

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and for property;

Perseverance; Patriotism;

Compassion; Integrity;

Responsibility;

Trustworthiness; Fairness;

Honesty and Hard work.

Finally, Kenyatta University

wishes to congratulate the

Kenya Defence Forces for the

critical role they are playing

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in ensuring our Countrys

peace, security and stability.

This being a major

responsibility, we continue to

pray and wish our defence

forces to succeed in this. We

take cognizance that some of

the officers who graduated in

the first and second groups

are already serving as

officers of the Kenya Defence

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Forces in different formations

within and without. And we

are indeed proud of our

soldiers.

As I conclude, let me take

this opportunity to wish the

cadets a successful and

rewarding academic life at

both the Kenya Military

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Academy and Kenyatta

University.

It is now my pleasure to

introduce the Chief of

Defence Forces Gen. Samson

Mwathethe:

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Profile of General Samson

Mwathethe

General Mwathethe is the

Chief of Defence Forces

following his promotion

and appointment on 17

April, 2015

He has held various

command appointments

including Vice Chief of the

Defence Forces,

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Commander Kenya Navy,

Deputy Commander

Kenya Navy, Kenya Navy

logistics Commander,

Base Commander

Mtongwe and Fleet

Commander

His other appointments

included Chief of Systems

and Procurement,

Department of Defence,

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Command of individual

Kenya Navy Ships, SOII

Operations at Navy

Headquarters, 86

Squadron Commander,

and SOI Co-ordination at

the Department of

Defence

His other professional and

military training include

International Sub-

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Lieutenants Course (UK),

International Principal

Warfare (IPWO) Course

(UK), Missiles Course

(ITALY) and the Royal

Naval Staff College,

Greenwich, (UK) in 1989.

He also attended the

Defence Resource

Management Course in

Monterey, USA in 1998,

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and the National Defence

College in Nairobi, Kenya

in 2000.

General Mwathethe

served with the United

Nations as a Military

Observer in Kuwait/Iraq

and Yugoslavia in 1991/92

His decorations include

Distinguished Conduct

Order (DCO), Moran of the

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Burning Spear (MBS),

among others

General Samson

Mwathethe was born in

Malindi and educated at

Shimo La Tewa and

Sacred Heart High

Schools Mombasa, before

joining the Kenya Navy in

April 1978. He was

commissioned in 1980 as

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a Seaman Officer after

attending Britannia Royal

Naval College, Dartmouth

He is married and they

have three children

May I now invite Gen.

Mwathethe to make his

remarks.

Thank you.

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